Horizontal-drilling machine.



H. H. HUGHES. I HORIZONTAL DIlLLINl MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.I, 19H.

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om m NW mw H.' R. HUGHES.

HORIZONTAL DRILLING MACHINE.

,APPLICATION FILED DEC. I, 1917.

HRI-warms, Snam/coz @51, Hm afmgaw @755W H. R. HUGHES.,

HORIZONTAL DRILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.I. I9II.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- FIGI.

@ HIS awww /Q @N H. R. HUGHES. HORIZONTALDRILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. l, IBI?.

l Patented Noir. 26, 1918r 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

FIG. 4f.

H. R.- HUGHES.

HORIZONTAL D'RILLING MACHINE.

E mm APPLICATION FILED DEC. I, 1917.

m0 d@ Om @T @T HOWARD R. HUGHES,

0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

HORIZONTAL-immune- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed December 1, 1917. Serial No. 204,983.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD R- HUGHES, a v citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris county, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Horizontal-Drilling Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in thel art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in drilling or boring machines whereby a bore or tunnel may be drilled in a direction horizontal or substantially so in the earth, and which may also be adapted for vertical drilling. device is designed more particularly for use in warfare for the boring of holes from one trench to a point under a distant trench or fortication of the enemy which hole will serve as' a passage for eX- plosives destined to be detonated beneath the opposing fortification. It is, of course, obvious that other uses may be made of the invention and I do not limit myself t'o this particular purpose.

In the practice of my invention I provide a machine for operating a rotary drill which drill is of any usual construction such as, for example. one of my patented roller drills. The drill or bit is attachedto the end of a hollow drill stem which serves to transmit the rotary motion to the bit and also to furnish a passage for fiushing water which is pumped through said drill stem and through passages in the bit itself, said water serving to wash out from the hole the matter cut away by the bit.

This invention pertains particularly to the construction of a machine for properly operating the drill stem, giving the same a rotary movement and also a forwardly or reverse movement longitudinally of the drill stem and for directing the bit to the desired point. One object of my invention is to provide a novel means for giving a laterally directed drill a rotary motion, and at the same time allowingfor a longitudinally progressive movement of said drill." Another object is the provision of lnovel means for giving said rotating bit a progressive movement at will and for regulating the speed of such progressive movement.

Another object is to construct the operating device in such manner that the bit may be directed so as to-drill a hole in a plurality of directions without interfering with the eiiicient operation of the said device.

Another object is to so combine the different operating parts of my invention as to produce the most eeotive apparatus for the purpose intended.

Other objectsl and advantages of my inlprovement will more clearl-y appear in the specification which follows and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims. In the drawing forming a. part of this specification and in which like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side view of my assembled device; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail View partly in section showing my novelmeans of driving the drill stem and of regulating its longitudinal movement; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line L -4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a side view showing my machine reversed for drilling in an opposite direction with a larger sized drill connected thereto.

My present invention is an improvement the danger zone, each part is housed for protection as far as is convenient.

The preferred embodiment of my inven- 4tion is illustrated in thedrawlngs herewith,

wherein my machine is shown as mounted upon two supportingplates i, l seated on cross pieces 2, 2. The supports for the operating mechanism comprise two opposite upright substantially Ushaped metal plates 3, 3, in which is pivotally mounted the gearcasing 4 which serves as a housing for the operating' means as well as a support for the drill stem 5, as will be later explained.

The two supporting plates 3 are held in' their opposite adjusted position by means ot cross bars 30 which are of the form of longitudinal bolts with a nut at one end to clamp the two plates together. Between the plates and surrounding' the cross bars 30 are two separating sleeves 3l which serve to space the two plates apart in an obvious manner.

The base upon which the supports are mounted is further retained in place by the longitudinal cross piece or torque bar t3, shown best in Fig. i. This torque bar is anchored at one end in the front face of the trench in which the machine is seated and at the'other end is retained in rigid position by the anchoring rods l'. rlfhe similar anchoring rods 7 are also used to iurther retain the two supporting plates Bas shown.l The gear-casing 4f, which serves as a housing for the operating mechanism and a support for the drill stem, consists of two similar opposite castings 9, which are adapt ed te ht together along a central plane and are provided with marginal bosses 9' furnishing openings through which the tastening bolts 10 are fined, thus serving to hold the two plates in cooperating position to form a closed casing. At the center portion of each of these castings or plates 9 `the housinal is extended laterally in the form oi a sleeve ll, which is threaded interiorly and serves to retain interior sleeves i3 and llwhich form extensions thereof.

@n the under side oi these sleeves l there is a slot having downwardly projected lugs l2 through which clamping bolts are adapt.- ed to he passed in order to grip sleeve li more firmly upon the interior bearing sleeves 13 and le, thus making them practically in tegral with the housing. This means is adopted in order to provide for the dises sembling oi the machine for easier transportation from place to place in the trench in which it is seated.

. lhe drive shaft 29 which transmits rotary movement to my drilling mechanism is jourj naled in the base oi the housing e at right angles to the bearing sleeves 13 and la it is connected up :for operationl with the sha'it 32 of 'an electric motor 34 by means oi a clutch ci ordinary construction (not shown). The said clutch is housed for protection at 35 and is operated by .means of a hand lever 36. A universal ,joint 33 is sup- Laconia plied in the motor shaft 32 to make unnecessary the exact adjustment of the units. A second motor 3e is seated beside the motor 3s and is operatively connected to the shaft 82 by means of a noiseless sprocket chain 105 and may he used in conjunction with the motor 34C where extra power is inner adjacent ends upturned to forni ne Y ripheral iianges 19 and 1S, respectivey, which anges serve to support nondriction hearin s as will be later described.

'Witlin the bearing' sleeves il and 13 are journaled the drive sleeve 16 and the screw sleeve 3.7, respectively. The drive sleeve 1G .is cylindrical in shape and has toward the interior end thereof a marginal outstanding :dange 26. This iiange serves as an attachingr means through which the said sleeve i6 is fastened to 'the drive gear 2l, by means or a series ot bolts thus also making the mechanism more easily detachable and portahle. Within the drive sleeve ld is positioned the main operating sleeve 2i, which is threaded -exteriorly as at 22.

@n the eXterior of the operating; sleeve are provided three longitudinal slots 23.. which are placed at equal distances ot 120 degrees apart around the periphery of the said sleeve. @n the interior oit the drive sleeve i6 are three downwardly projecting ridges 22', which register with the slots 23 and serve to slidably connect the two sleeves. Thus it will he noted that the rotation of the gear wheel 2a- .'ill turn the sleeve 1G and, through the downwardly projecting parts 22', will operate the sleeve 2l, giving it a likewise rotating movement. it the opposite end of the casing the screw sleeve i7 is threaded interiorly to coperate with the main operating sleeve 2l. This sleeve l? is adapted under ordinary circumstances to turn with the operating sleeve 2l and is journaled for that purpose within the outer sleeve i3, in a manner which will be later described. The gear wheel 2e is driven by means ot a, spiral or worm gear 28 forming a part of drive shaft 29. v

ln the preferred embodiment of my 1nvention the forward end of the outer hearing sleeve i4 is threaded exteriorly as at 39 `iior connection to a short length of casing pipe il by means of an outer coupling sleeve 420. This casing 41 is connected at its opposite end to a joint 42 which retains at its opposite side the length of casing 41 which extends for a short distance into the wall of the trench, and serves to protect the wall ofthe trench andas an outlet for the flushing water which is pumped through the middle of the hollow stem 5 to the bit'8 at the forward end of the same. The flushing water passes out from the drill hole through the pipe 41 to the joint 42, and downwardly through an outlet pipe 43 to the sump pit 44 where the disintegrated matter is allowed to settle. The casing 41 and the outlet 42 may be omitted if desired, as will be later shown.

The iushing water for this operation is pumped into the rear end of the drill stem by means of a rotary pump shown diagram-- matically at 45, which pumps the water from the sump pit through the inlet pipe 46 and by way of a pressure chamber 51 and the flexible pipe 47 'tothe swivel connection 48. This swivel connection 48 surrrounds an inner pipe 49 closed at its rear end as at 5l by means of a cap, and connected'at itsA forward end by means of a conical screw connection 50 to the drill stem 5.' The swivel connection 48 is represented as any ordinary swivel connection between two liquid conducting pipes and no details of its structure are thought to be necessary.

The pressure chamber 51 of the pump has connected therewith an overflow pipe or bypass 53 serving to regulate the pressure of the water in the drill stem. This pressure chamber is provided also with a gage 52 servin g to indicate the amount of pressure in the pipe at all times, this gage being a valuable indicator as will be later explained.

The pump 45 is operated by means of an electric motor 58 stationed alongside of said pump, said motor being provided with a drive pulley 57 which is connected to the drive pulley 56 of the pump by means of a belt 54.

The gearcasing 4 is pivoted in the supports 3 at its lower side as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At each side of the casing, and integral therewith, is a laterally extending journal 101, which is seated in the bearing 100 of the support for rotative movement.

In the upper part of each of the two supporting members 3' is an arc shaped slot 59,

through which project two laterally extending pins from the casing 4, each of said pins bein provided with a head 60 conslsting o tightened against the plate and retain the casing in adjusted position. It will be here a threaded nutl adapted to be' before the machine is completely assembled in order to avoid the contact of the drill stem with the cross piece 1 and the cross rod 30 which connects the two plates together. In fact, it is found necessary to entirely omit these two connecting members in this adjustment of the drill.'

The gear-casing 4, as previously stated, is journaled for rotative movement about the axis of the shaft 29. Lateral extensions 101 on each side of the casing form journals which are seated in bearings 100 in the supports 3. Each journal is divided into two parts like the rest of the casing 4, the parts being separable and destined to be clamped together along a. central line.

J ournaled axially within this casingbearing is the operating shaft 29. At each side of the central screw of the gear 28 and Y spaced therefrom is a collar 84 or 85 integral with the shaft 29.A This collar bears against a Timken non-friction bearlng shown inclosed in housings 82 and 83, said bearings serving as a support for the-shaft 29 and also to take up any end thrust of the same. The bearing is heldin adjusted position against the collar 85 by means of a spacing sleeve 86 which is threaded exteriorly t0 receive a washer or plate 89, which serves to close the end of the casing around the bearing. This plate 89 is fixed in position by means of set bolts. To allow the sleeve 86 to be rotated to tighten the bearing- 82 against the collar 85 to take up any wear that may occur, a wrench may be inserted in holes provided for same around the shaft 29, as shown .at 86. l Apacking ring 87 and a retaining nut 88 vtherefor are provlded around the shaft 29 to prevent the escape of the lubricating oil with which the interior of the casing is to be partially filled. On the end of theshaft 29 opposite the motor the bearing in the support 3 is inclosed by a plate 103 to seal that end of the bear1ng.

The provision for rotating the operating sleeve 21 has already been described. It now remains to show how the drill stem is given its rotating and longitudinal movement through means of the operating sleeve. The operative connection between the operating sleeve andthe drill stem is provided toward the rear of the drill stem which is provided with a chuck or outer removable clamping block 62 attached thereto. This chuck 62 has on the side adjacent the machine itself a dental clutch coacting with a slidable clutch rin 63. This ring has projecting ridges on its inner surface fitting into the grooves 23 of the operating sleeve, and is hence rotatable therewith but as 4itis not interiorly threaded it will slide thereon. 'lhus when the operating sleeve is rotated in the proper direction (a clockwise movement looking toward-the front of the inachine) it will grip the chuck G2 and, through it, will rotate the drill stem 5. When rorated in the opposite direction, however, the

Y clutch ring 63 will tend to he thrown out of gear unless held manually in its coperative position. When thus out of gear the rotation ci the operating sleeve will not adect the drill stem, as the end or" said sleeve is provided with an outstanding integral iiange ttin rotatively within an annular groove on inner periphery oi said chuclr is usual in such structures. Thus the advance of the operating sleeve longitudinally 'will carry with it the chuck and hence the stein hut the rotative movement et the said sleeve does not aect the drill stein except through the clutch S3.

it is desired to move the drill stern forwar ily or haclrwardly it is accomplished.

through means of the screw-sleeve i7 previously described. This sleeve is in threaded connection around the operating sleeve 2l. .is'the screw sleeve l? is intended to nor really rotate with the operating sleeve, a provision is made to increase the friction loetween them to accomplish this end.

rlhis means consists of a nut composed of two parts 68 semi-circular in shape lout not touching along a median line 68. Jlhese parts 5S are each provided with a pin T2 threaded therein at points diametrically opposite each other in relation to the operai;- ing sleeve. Each pin 72 has a smooth head projecting freely within an outer ring or sleeve 59. rlhis ring has opposite hoses 7l at the outer end thereof rovided with openings to receive the pins .2. Above each pin is tted a split locking washer 73 held in contact with the pin 72 hy means of arset screw le threaded within the opening in said hess* 'When the friction is to he' increased between the sleeve 69 and the operating sleeve 2l, the set screw 74e is screwed down on the washer 73 thus pressing it down upon the head of the pin 72. This is done on both oi the opposite set screws 74: and the two sections of the two part nut are clamped to the operating sleeve to an extent sucient to assure their turning together under ordinary conditions yet allowing them to slip when a brake is applied to the screw sleeve 17 as will he described.

The ring 69 receives the two part, nut 68 in its outer fact but is shouldered somewhat against it on the inner part and this inner part is keyed tothe sleeve 1'? so that a rotation of the ring 69 will also rotate the sleeve 17. 0n the inner face of the ring an inner peripheral recess receives the adjacent end of the outer sleeve 13.. The inner end is also provided with a hand wheel the rotation of which will also rotate the'screw sleeve 17 et tough exihle material oi anv ordinargyT construction for a brake lining.

fis will he noted. particularlr7 in Fig. Il the opposite ends of the oralze hand and lin ing do not meet at the top ci the drum leaving a short space for tightening the hralre.

operate the hralree each end thereof is provided with an outstanding lug 55 having a slight lli-shaped recess on the outer side thereof. @perating throueh the casing i oy means of a screw connection therewith are two opposite adjusting screws 78 and 80. The screw 80 has a head 'il' within'the casing in contact with the recess in the lug 55., head has a wedge shaped iace i'ltting within the -til-shaped recess of the hralre hand. The connection hetween the screw 80 and the head Tl' is a swivel one hy which the rotation ot the screw will not rotate the head hut will serve simply to adjust its position. At its outer end.. withoutthe easing, screw 80 is provided with an angled head El adapted to he gripped hv a wrench. The opposite screw i8 has e similar inner head 9 hut the outer end is extended as at 76 and is provided with a hand wheel 82. lt will thus he obvious 'that when the adjusting screw 80 has been tightened somewhat, the operation of the screw 78 by means of the hand wheel 82' will tighten or yloosen the brake hand at will by compressing the two lugs of said hand toward each other. 'lhus the tension on the hralre may he regu'- lated to overcome the friction of the end ring G9 andeaulse` the sleeve if? to loe held stationary. ln such stationary position the vcontinued rotation of the operating sleeve 21 will act through the screw connection be tween the two sleeves l? and 2l to advance or reverse the operating sleeve in a longitudinal direction. lt will also he noted that a degree of pressure may he regulated on the hralre hand at will which will cause the screw sleeve l? to be rotated at a slower speed than that of the operating sleeve by allowing an amount of slippage of the brake band on the drum as desired. ln other words, if the pressure of the brake hand on the drum is only slightly greater than the pressure of the rictionsleeve 69 the screw sleeve may be adjusted to rotate onlvparl 1 and 2, the drill is detached from the drill stem, the motor is then reversed and theA ferent rotating parts, as between the flange 19 of sleeve 13 and the flange 64 of sleeve 1T; between the flange 6l and the gear flange 26; between the latter and flange 18 of sleeve 11 areprovidcd non-friction bearings to facilitate the movement of the operating parts.

It is contemplated that the casing 4 will be filled .with lubricant to a point just below the operating sleeve. An opening 90 is provided at the upper part of said casing for the purpose of supplying this lubricant and a like opening 91 in the base of the same serves as an exit for the oil when desired. Both openings 90 and 91 are adapted to be closed by a threaded plug,.not shown.

The drill may be reversed by the reversing of the motor itself.- The reversing of the dircction'of rotation will throw out the clutch 63 automatically thus leaving the drill stem non-rotatable. By tightening the brake band the reverse rotation of theV operating sleeve 21 will withdraw the drill stem fom the hole in a manner which will now be c ear.

When it is desired to drill in a direction opposite to the first position shown in Figs.

brake applied thus unscrewing the operating sleeve out of the rear of the machine until it is entirely clear of the same. The water connections are Iuncoupled and the operating sleeve and attached drill stem are then carried around to the opposite side of the machine and screwed back into the screw sleeve in reversed direction. The drill is again attached to the stem and the water connections from the pump again made and the device is then ready for operation on the opposite side of the bank as shown in Fig. 5.

When the drill is operating in either di-V rection, it .will be necessary frequently to add new lengths of pipe to the drill stem to increase its length. This is done by unscrewing the screw connectionO from the rear end of the drill stem 5 and screwing thereto another length of pipe after which the screw connection 50 is again secured into the rear endof the new section and the position of the operating sleeve set back by means of the hand wheel 70 to its farthest rearward position. The chuck is then also readjusted on the drill stem andthe operation proceeds as before.

Fig. 5 illustrates how the new lengths of drill stem may be ,fed in as desired at the forward end of the machine. in this method the stem is uncoupled as at 10e and a new length tted therein, the rear end of the stem being drawn back after uncoupling a suflicient d1stance for thispurpose. For convenience in this process of inserting lengths of the drill stem, theouter casing .water issuing from the drk-ill hole is caught in a trough 106 whichcarries it to the sump.

When it is desired to use a larger drill and a larger drill stem in the bore hole in order to get an increased size of hole, this is done as illustrated in Fig. 5. Here the usual size of 4drill stem 5 at the machine, within the operatingsleeve, is retained but an enlarged coupling 101 is screwed thereon, one end of said coupling beingof the proper size therefor. In the opposite enlarged en d of said coupling is screwed the enlarged siz'e of drill stem 5 necessary to accommodate the larger drill. It is practically necessary, in the use of the enlarged size of ,drill stem, that the new lengthslbe inserted from the front of the machine, as shown in this figure.

In the ordinary use of my device the different units of my apparatus are adapted to be transported separately from place to place by hand. A somewhat widenedv placement is dug in the trench and the base plates 2 laid down and the device assembled thereon in a. manner .which will befclear from the y drawings without further description.

When asembled, the universal clutch 33 in the motor drive shaft allowsk for any unequal alinement of the motor and the boring machine so that no delay may be necessary The rotation of the operating sleeve 21 is transmitted through the clutch 63 to the chuck 62 on the drill stem and thus the bit 8 at the forward end of the drill stem is rotated.

During the rotation of the drill the screw sleeve is adjusted to normally rotate with the operating sleeve through the friction ring 69 as previously described, and in such condition there is no forward movement of the drill. But when the brake band is tightened sufliciently the sleeve 17 is held against rotation, or partially so as desired. When thus held it is obvious that the operating sleeve will be advanced and hence with it the drill stem and bit. lf at any time it is desired to advance'or withdraw the bit without the use of the brake, it may be manually accomplished by the use of the hand wheel 70 which,I as described, is keyed to the screw sleeve 17.

During the operation of the bit, the pump is also operated to force the flushing water through the hollow drill stem to the bit l operating sleeve surrounding where the water serves to wash away the detritus. he muck laden nvater returns outside of the drill stem to the joint 42 where it makes its enit through the pipe 43 to the sump lilla The intatte pipe 46 is provided with a straining" means at the lower end and in practice, the water is used over again repeatedly. rl`he pressure gage 52 on the pump serves to indicate the pressure oi water in the pipe and will show the condition of things in the pipe, rlhus if the drill hole becomes clogged the rise in pressure would indicate it. lf the drill stem becomes broken, a sudden falling od of the pressure twould bring the act to then atteirf tion or the driller.

lt is clear from what is shown that the position of the drill stern need not he eractly horizontal but that adjustment of? the drill hole alone1 a vertical plane may he easiy made. i level 6l on the casing is provided to determine the angle of adjustin the direction or" the bore hole,

iiaving thus described my invention, what claim as new and desire to protect Letters Fatent is:

l, ln a device of the character described, a support, a casing, a horizontal drive shalt jiournaled said casing, said casing being adapted to rock about said shaft in said supn port, an operating sleeve, a drill inside said operating sleeve, connecting gears between said drive shaft and said operating sleeve whereby 'the drill stem is rotated, a screw sleeve on said operating sleeve and means on said screw sleeve, and operable through the rotation of said operating sleeve, to feed the said operating sleeve forward as deaired.

2. ln a device ot the character described, a casing, a horizontal drive 'shaft journaled said casing, an operating sleeve in said casing;` above and at right angles to said shaft, a vdrill stem in said sleeve, said casing being adapted to roclr about said shalt, connecting gears between said shaft and said operating sleeve, a screw sleeve on said operating sleeve and means including a brake connected therewith and operable through the rotation of said operating sleeve to feed the said operating sleeve and drill stem forward at the speed desired.

3. A device of the character described comprising a drill stem mounted to roch on a horizontal shaft at right angles thereto, operating means between said shaft and said stem; including an exteriorly threaded said stem, a screw sleeve on said operating sleeve free to rotate therewith, a, brake band on said screw sleeve, and means to tighten. said brake hand to regulate the speed of rotation of said screw sleeve.

Lasarte e. A device of the character described comprising a motor, a drive shaft operated thereby and detachable therefrom, a hollow drill stem operably connected with said drive shaft, and adapted to rock about said drive shaft at right angles thereto, a pump operated by means detached from. said shaft and adapted to pump fluid through said drill stern.

5. ln a device of the character described a drill, an approximately horizontal drill stem, a screw sleeve, threaded means between said drill stern and said screw sleeve, adjustable means to cause said screw sleeve normally rotate with said drill stem, a he to operably connect said screw sleeve said threaded means to advance said drill and means to operate said drill stem,

6, ln a device of the character described an operating sleeve, means to rotate said sleeve, an outer coperating screw sleeve, friction means to'cause the screw sleeve to normally rotate with said operating sleeve, and a brake on said screw sleeve to regulate the relative rotation between said screw sleeve and operatinga sleeve.

Y. ln a device ol the character described a drive shaft, a drill stem, operating means between. said drill stern andy said drive shaft comprising a worm gear, a drive sleeve, a slotted operating sleeve between said drive sleeve and said drill stem capable ot being reversed in position in said drive sleeve to drill in an opposite direction.

8. ln a device ot the character described, a drive shalt, adrill stem, operating means between said drive shaft and said drill stem. comprisingn an operating sleeve detachably connected. to said stem, said operating sleeve being removable and reversible end for end without removing the drill stem therefrom,

9, ln a device of the character described, a drive shaft, a drill stem, operating means between said drive shaft and' said drill stem, comprising an operating sleeve attached to said drill stem, said operatingg sleeve being removable and reversible end for end without removing the drill stem therefrom, and means connected to said sleeve for feeding it forward at the desired speed.

10,. ln a device or the character described, adrive shaft, an operating sleeve, operating means between said shaft and said sleeve, e drill stem within said sleeve, a screw sleeve threaded exteriorly on said operating sleeve, a spring pressed split ring between said operating sleeve and said screw sleeve to cause them. to normally rotate together, and friction means to adjust the rate of rotation of said screw sleeve.

l1. ln a device of the kind described, an operating sleeve, means to'rotate said sleeve, an outer Vcoperating screw sleeve, friction gli liti

means to cause said screw sleeve to normally rotate with 'said operating sleeve comprising a split ring, springs holding said ring in adjustable Contact with said operating sleeve, and connecting means be` 1o rock vertically on said shaft, a drill stem in said sleeve, a screw sleeve threaded on said operating sleeve, and friction means normally holding said screw sleeve in rotation with said operating sleeve and a brake to cause said screvv sleeve to rotate at a different speed' than said operating sleeve.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my signature this the 26th day of'November, 1917.

HOWARD R.- HUGHES. 

